Flat 1, 1 Portchester Place, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8JS
Condition: Ground floor Edwardian flat with central heating and double glazing, but with tired internal condition including damaged plaster and damp, and an old/rusted washing machine.
Evidence considered
- Landlord provided details of two comparable flats with asking rents of £995 pcm and £1,000 pcm
- Landlord's agent advised a rental value of £900 pcm
- Tribunal relied on its own expert knowledge of local rental values alongside the comparables
- Tenant provided photographs and an inventory evidencing condition issues (damp, damaged plaster, replaced fridge, aged washing machine)
Tenant submitted evidence: yes. Landlord submitted evidence: yes.
Tribunal's reasoning
The tribunal started from a market rent of £900 pcm, based on its own expert knowledge and the landlord's comparable evidence, as the rent expected if the property were modernised and in good order like the comparables. It then deducted £10 for the tenant having had to replace the fridge and £40 for the tired internal condition including damaged plaster and damp, arriving at a determined rent of £850 pcm, unchanged from the existing rent.
Read the original decision (PDF, GOV.UK)
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